A Lover's Vow (18 page)

She stared back up at him, feeling the heat radiating off him. She heard a scraping sound and realized it came from him pulling one of her chairs back away from the table. Then she watched as he eased down into it, facing her. “You liked doing it
this
way, Jules.”

He'd spoken in a sexy tone, reminding her of the time in Miami one night when they had been on the hotel room's patio. He had sat naked in a chair, and she had sat naked, straddling him while he thrust in and out of her. She had definitely liked that position. While sitting in the chair facing him, she was able to look into his face and see each and every one of his expressions. She hadn't experienced anything as erotic in her entire life. And it seemed each and every thrust had met its mark, hitting right on her G-spot. She didn't want to remember just how many orgasms she'd had that night.

“Don't you?”

His question hung between them, brushing against her skin, soaking memories into her flesh. Her self-control was slipping, and she didn't like it. When he calmly sat back in the chair and slowly eased his legs apart, she saw what he wanted her to see. His huge erection.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to breathe in slowly as she fought to regain her control. A racy, hot fire was inching through her body, wrapping around her like a cape. Tightening like a band around her, making it impossible for her to escape a need Dalton could so easily generate within her.

“You might as well open your eyes, because it's not going anywhere.”

She opened her eyes, and it seemed the moment she did so, lust, as edgy and intense as it could get, took over her mind, and all she could do was stare at him, especially at his bulging crotch.

“You're thinking too hard, Jules.”

Yes, she probably was. “And you're getting too hard, Dalton.”

He smiled. “Making it just right for you,” he said, answering easily.

She shook her head. “This is crazy.”

He chuckled. “No, this is man wanting woman and woman wanting man. Nothing crazy about it.”

Jules sighed, not so sure. “I don't even like you.”

“You could have fooled me in Miami, and I'm sure, given how I felt a few months ago, I could have fooled you, too. Sex has a way of changing people.”

“Not people,” she countered. “Attitudes.”

“Same difference. And have you finished thinking yet? Because when you stop thinking, then I can start doing.”

He had said she was the thinker and he was the doer, and considering her time with him while in South Beach, she believed him. “Yes, I've finished thinking.”

Dalton nodded slowly. “And what have you decided?”

Jules briefly considered how she would say this and decided to just be frank. “I've decided to see whether this chair is as sturdy as the one in Miami.”

She wasn't sure what she saw first—the darkening of his eyes or the sexy smile that curved his lips. “There's only one way to find out,” he said huskily.

Twenty-Four

D
alton concluded that although Jules might be the thinker and he the doer, when it came to this, they were of one accord. He could barely sit still watching Jules strip off her clothes in front of him. It amused him that whenever he'd seen her enter a nightclub, she'd always worn some sort of scandalous, barely there outfit. But here in the comfort of her home, beneath her robe, she was wearing flannel pajamas. However, he had to admit they were a cute pair, and she looked sexy in them.

“We really should be talking, Dalton.”

He watched her, captivated by how she was slowly easing her pajama bottoms down her legs. “Talking about what?”

“Why this shouldn't be happening.”

In that case, she wasn't about to hear a peep out of him.

“Dalton?” she called out to him when he hadn't responded. Now his gaze was fixated on the area between her thighs. And from where he was sitting, it was at eye level. He forced his gaze to her face. “Yes?”

“I said we should be talking.”

“We should be doing just what we're doing.”

She rolled her eyes when she began unbuttoning her shirt. “You would say that.”

Hell, he didn't know a man alive who wouldn't...considering the view he was getting. And when she tossed her flannel shirt aside and stood stark naked in front of him, his gaze latched on to her breasts. He thought the same thing now he'd thought the first time he'd seen them, tasted them, fondled them and sucked them. Her breasts were perfect.

His gaze dropped back to the apex of her thighs. He could feel his entire mouth tingle and couldn't wait to get his tongue on her clit.

“You're not going to take your clothes off?”

Instead of answering her question, he said in a low growl, “Come here.”

Their gazes met, held. He knew that by nature, Jules didn't like to be ordered around. But she knew what walking over to him could mean.
Pleasure beyond measure.
However, he wasn't surprised when she asked why. Like she really didn't know.

“I want to taste you.”

He saw the flare of desire that lit her eyes. She was no longer thinking. She was ready to become a doer, as well. He watched as she shortened the distance between them. But she did not shorten it enough. “Closer.”

She took a few more steps. That still wasn't good enough. “Closer, Jules.”

“If I come any closer, I'll be in your face.”

Exactly.
“Come closer and spread your legs.”

* * *

He certainly had a way with words, Jules thought, moving closer. And when he grabbed hold of her thighs, leaned forward and rubbed his face right in her center, she felt weak in the knees. And then she felt him lifting her off her feet, hefting her up by the hips so that his mouth was right there.

And the moment she felt his hot tongue slide inside her, she screamed out an orgasm. She was sure he could taste it, but he didn't stop working his tongue inside her, holding tight to her thighs, securing her firmly against his mouth.

Suddenly, his tongue went deeper, touched that particular spot, and she could feel new sensations invade her body, spreading from where his mouth was to other parts of her. She began writhing against his mouth, and that seemed to make his tongue delve deeper still. He was consuming her like he intended her to be his last meal. Instinctively, she arched her back as she became caught up in the most intense degree of lust that could ever exist.

And then she was screaming again, but he wouldn't let up. He didn't let up until the last wave of her orgasm had washed through her. It was only then that he eased her back down to let her feet touch the tile floor. And she watched as he licked his lips. “You taste better than any wine that's ever been created.”

Those words stayed with her while she watched him stand up and begin removing his clothes, and while she watched, she felt hunger build up inside her body once again. He was supposed to be out of her system, like she was supposed to be out of his. What in the world had gone wrong? Something had definitely backfired on both their parts.

When he had removed every stitch of his clothing and had sheathed his erection in a condom, he sat back down in the chair. “Now we'll see how sturdy this chair is.”

She swallowed deeply. “We haven't already?”

“We haven't come close.”

She looked down and saw that his erection appeared larger than ever. And she knew at that moment that was what she wanted. Without waiting for an invite, she moved toward him and straddled his lap, widening her legs just inches above his shaft. She wanted to be looking in his face when they made the connection. She wanted to see every single expression of both greed and pleasure.

“Ready?”

She held his gaze. He didn't know how ready she was. “Yes, ready. All systems go.”

“Then, baby, let's blast off.”

And when she banged down on him, his shaft automatically thrust inside her. She could actually hear him grit his teeth, moan some unintelligible words, curse under his breath and growl deep in his throat, while thrusting in and out of her. And she simultaneously rode him with flawless precision and perfect timing. She held tight to the back of the chair, which gave his mouth access to her breasts, and all she could do was throw her head back and moan.

He continued thrusting inside her over and over again. She heard the chair squeaking, and at one time thought they might fall out of it and tumble to the floor, but it held firm...at least almost until the end. A leg was the first to go, but Dalton still didn't stop; he just shifted his angle to put pressure on the remaining three chair legs.

And that was when she screamed, which was at the same time he threw back his head and shouted her name. He jumped up. Holding tight to her hips that were wrapped around him just seconds before the chair went crashing to the floor. He still didn't stop. Pressing her against the table, his thick pulsating shaft continued to beat down, pound into her in long, deep and feverish strokes.

Her entire body shivered; her mind went blank except for the feelings tearing through her. How could her self-control compete with this? And when her body joined his in yet another spasm, she knew she was in serious trouble. She hadn't counted on this. Hadn't counted on Dalton Granger being the one man she couldn't seem to get enough of. His yin to her yang...at least where sex was concerned.

Moments later, when they were able to breathe again, he pulled her into his arms and licked the side of her face before whispering, “Let's take this to the sofa.”

Too weak to resist, and doubting she would have even if she could, she wrapped her arms around his neck when he lifted her. They paused momentarily to grab his pants off the back of one of the chairs. “I need more condoms.”

And as she looked at the broken chair on her kitchen floor, she knew what she needed was another chair. A sturdier one.

* * *

“Are you trying to kill me?”

Jules's lips lifted in a smile. “Is that the
doer
whining?” she asked, easing her body off Dalton's.

He frowned as he pulled up into a sitting position on her sofa. “Hell, I'm not whining, just asking a question.”

“One I don't intend to answer. I believe you're the one who showed up tonight at my place for a booty call. At least my sofa stood the test. You owe me a new kitchen chair, by the way.”

Dalton chuckled. “You'll get it. It was worth breaking.” He glanced around at all the papers spread on the coffee table. Papers he had shoved out of the way when he'd taken her on the sofa. That was before she began taking him. Riding him senseless into a new day. He leaned forward to straighten up the papers, and his hands froze when he saw what the documents were about. “You've got information on Marshall Imerson?” he asked, glancing over at her.

She nodded and adjusted her position on her sofa, wondering how many couples sat naked while talking on a sofa like it was a normal thing. But she didn't feel like going to the kitchen for clothes. Besides, they hadn't made it to her bedroom yet.

“Yes, and it wasn't easy. The records were sealed.”

Dalton's brow lifted. “Sealed?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Good question. I believe it's because of the shitty way the initial police report was handled. There were so many red flags that, as a cop, I would have pursued. However, the police officer on the scene didn't.”

Dalton didn't say anything for a minute. “Tell me what you've found out so far, and this time I
am
interested in what you're thinking.”

So now he's interested in my mind and not my body.
Jules smiled at the thought and told him just what she'd deciphered from the police report so far. “The former cop in me thinks it's clearly a cover-up, but there's no way to prove it. I intend to take a road trip later today and visit Imerson's wife, Leigh. She moved away not long after the accident.”

“To where?”

“Steeplechase. I want to see if perhaps there's another file somewhere, or if he mentioned anything about the case to her.”

“Sounds like you're going to be busy today, but then so am I. I've called Jace and Caden for a meeting at my place this morning at eight.”

Jules's brows drew together. “Why?”

Dalton released a deep sigh. “It seems that the trade-secret scandal is deeper than we assumed.”

“How so?”

Dalton shared with Jules what Percy had told him just that night. “Wow,” she said, shaking her head. “When will it end?”

“Don't know. As long as there's greed in the world, people will do what they think they need to do to get rich quickly and illegally.” He glanced at his watch. “Time sure flies when you're indulging in pleasure.”

Jules chuckled. “Is that your way of saying it's time for you to leave?”

Dalton grinned. “I'm sure Stonewall wishes that was the case.”

Jules sat up straight. “Stonewall? Stonewall followed you here?”

“Yes.”

“And he's sitting out in front of my place?”

“More than likely. It's a wonder he didn't break the door down all those times you screamed. I guess he could decipher an ‘I need help' scream from an ‘I'm having an orgasm' scream.”

Jules frowned over at him. “I can't believe you allowed him to follow you here.”

“Baby, he's the one who led me. I didn't know where you lived.”

Jules's frown deepened. “And he did?”

“Obviously. I'm here, aren't I?”

She opened her mouth to say something about him being a smart-ass, when she suddenly found herself lifted into his arms when he stood up. “Show me your bedroom, Jules.”

“What if I told you I don't want to?”

“Then I would be forced to make you change your mind.”

“Think you can?”

“Think I can't?”

She drew back and stared up into his face. “Your arrogance is showing, Dalton.”

He gave her that smile that made her heart go
thump
. “We're wasting time, Jules. You have a busy day ahead of you, and so do I. So what do you say?”

She couldn't say anything with the feel of his erection pressing against her buttocks. “I don't think you can make me change my mind, but now is not a good time to prove it.”